Attack of the Ladurians
by Ayiana89
Summary: The TARDIS lands on a spacestation in the 47th century. Soon after the arrival, an alien species shows up and attacks the spacestation. Ten/Martha.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is my first Doctor Who story. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who

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**Chapter 1**

Martha opened the door of the TARDIS and stepped out into a small room with walls of metal and a metal door on the other side of the room. Everywhere there were boxes and shelves full of what looked like futuristic tools and spare parts. They had landed in a storage room.

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS behind Martha and pulled the door shut.

"Where are we?" Martha asked excitedly as she turned around to look at him.

"Looks like we are on a human spacestation or spaceship. I'd say spacestation. I can't feel it moving," he answered as he looked around in the storage room. He took a closer look at the spare parts in one of the boxes and said: "By the look of these parts we are in the 47th century. I love this century. Let's take a look around!" He grinned at her and walked to the door. Martha followed him.

Outside the room they found a corridor with a large window on one side. On the other side were doors like the one they had just come through. Martha immediately ran to the window to look outside.

"This is just amazing," she whispered as she let her gaze wander over the breathtaking view.

The window showed a planet which the spacestation was orbiting. From where Martha was standing the planet looked like a ball in different shades of green and blue. There was not as much water on the planet as on Earth but it still looked similar.

Half of the planet was in the light of a sun which was behind the spacestation.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the Doctor asked as he walked to stand next to Martha and took a look out of the window himself.

"Like nothing I have ever seen before," Martha said, as she turned her head to look up at him. He returned her glance and they both smiled at each other.

"Who are you?" came a voice from behind them.

They both turned around to see a man in a dark blue uniform standing behind them and pointing a gun at them.

The Doctor just ginned at the man.

"Hello," he said, "I'm the Doctor. And this is Martha."

"How did you get here?" asked the man.

"Oh, I have this sort of ship," the Doctor answered. "We just came here to have a look at your spacestation. Just for fun."

The man stared at him for a moment as if he was deciding whether he should believe him or not. Then he started walking a bit closer to them. "I have to bring you to the captain." He pointed with his gun down the corridor to their left. "Move!"

The Doctor and Martha exchanged another glance, then started walking down the corridor as the man had told them to.

...

The man locked them up in a room to wait until the captain of the spacestation arrived. It was a small room with a table and some chairs around it. It looked like a conference room.

"So what are we going to do?" Martha asked the Doctor.

"It's probably best to just stay here and wait for this captain to arrive," was his answer. He leaned against the wall next to the door. Martha walked over to one of the chairs and sad down on it.

"What do you think the reaction of this captain will be? I mean, we're not in trouble again, are we?"

"I don't think so. We just explain to him how we got here. Won't be a problem." He smiled at her and Martha melted inside as she usually did when she saw him smile at her like that.

She had spent five months on Earth after the Year That Never Was and she had thought she had started to get over him. But she obviously wasn't. The moment she saw him again it all came back.

Those five months were just boring for her after everything she had seen. It seemed like nothing interesting would happen in her life and she began to miss the travelling.

She had spent most of the first two month helping her family. They had needed her after everything that had happened in the Year. But they were a lot better now. They barely talked about the Year anymore. And she had only seen them on weekends in the last month because of her exams.

She had passed the last one a week ago and had thought that she really could use a bit of travelling.

She had thought that she could do it: travel with the Doctor again and be happy with them just being friends. She had realised that he would never feel anything more for her. That was why she had left. And she had hoped that she could accept that. So she had called him and asked him if she could travel with him again for a bit. He hadn't found a new companion so he was very happy to have her back.

But her feelings were just the same as they were before she had left him after the Year as she realised now. She still loved him. And it still hurt that he just saw her as a friend.

She was very happy to be out here again. Every trip was exciting and she just loved it. But she wasn't sure if it was worth the pain. If she should stay with him or if it was better to go home again and resume trying to go on with her life.

Maybe someday she could come with him again and see him as just a friend.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked. Martha looked up at him. "You seemed to be far away."

"I'm fine" she smiled at him. "I was just thinking. Nothing important." He smiled back at her, oblivious as always to what that smile did to her.

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**AN:** The next chapter should be finished in a week. Please let me know what you think and review.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thanks to my beta reader Persiflage and to everyone who reviewed the first chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

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**Chapter 2**

The Doctor and Martha waited in silence for ten minutes until the door opened again and a man walked in. He was in his fifties, with short grey hair and a grim look on his face.

The Doctor grinned at him as he usually did.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. And this is Martha," he said, indicating with his head in her direction. Martha stood up to greet the man but he just nodded in her direction.

"I'm Captain Bennett, the commanding officer of this space station," he said.

He walked around the table and sat down at one end of it. Martha and the Doctor took seats next to him.

"How did you get here?" Captain Bennett asked.

"Our ship landed on your space station and we just wanted to take a look around," said the Doctor. "Could you tell us where exactly this space station is?"

Bennett looked suspiciously at him. "You want me to believe that you landed here without knowing where you are?"

"Yep," the Doctor said, popping the p. "More fun that way."

Bennett kept staring at him for a moment. He seemed to be trying to figure out what to make of the Doctor.

"We really just landed here and wanted to take a look at your space station," Martha said before the Doctor could talk them deeper into trouble. "We can just leave again if you don't want strangers here."

Bennett looked at her and opened his mouth to answer. But before he could say anything an alarm started. It was a high pitched sound that made Bennett jump up immediately. "Not again!" he muttered as he started to run. Martha and the Doctor followed him.

Bennett ran down a long corridor till he reached a double door that opened automatically when he approached. The Doctor and Martha followed him through the door into a big room with people sitting at consoles and some screens along the walls.

A woman with a long, brown ponytail turned around as Bennett walked in and immediately started talking to him. "Captain, our sensors just detected a ship. It seems to be waiting for something, because it's holding its position."

"Is it them?" Bennett asked the woman.

"I think so. We can't be sure, because of the distance, but it's the same size as their ships."

"Who are "they"?" asked the Doctor.

Bennett turned around to look at him. "I can't remember asking you to come with me," he said, and walked to one of the consoles to look for himself at what the sensors had picked up.

"Just tell us what's going on here. Maybe we can help you!" the Doctor called after him.

Captain Bennett did not react to what the Doctor had said. He continued to stare at one of the screens. The woman with the ponytail joined him.

The Doctor and Martha watched him for a moment till a young man approached them. He had been standing next to a console and had watched them the entire time they had talked to the captain. The man was in his late twenties. He had light brown hair and blue eyes, and Martha noticed that he was quite handsome.

"They are called the Ladurians," he answered the question the Doctor had asked Bennett. "They attacked us a week ago. We still have some damage from their last attack. Our shields aren't working and we didn't manage to repair them yet. We fought back the last time and they had to leave because we damaged their ship. But we don't stand a chance if they attack again. Not without our shields. They would destroy this station with a few shots."

"Do you know why they attacked you?" Martha asked him.

"The planet below us has many mineral resources. That's why this space station was build here. The Ladurians want this planet," the young man said. Then he looked Martha and the Doctor in the eyes. "Can you help us?" he asked.

"We'll do our best. First I would like to take a look at your shields. Maybe I can repair the damage," the Doctor said.

"Do you know how our systems work?" asked Bennett. He had listened to their conversation the entire time. Now he walked back towards them.

"I'm quite good at repairing things. I think I can help," the Doctor answered.

"Well, you can't do a worse job than my lot," Bennett said. The young man who had spoken to the Doctor and Martha looked offended.

"I'll let you try," Bennett continued. Then he looked at the young man. "Lieutenant, you will go with them and keep an eye on them. I don't trust them."

"Yes, sir!" the young man answered. Bennett turned around and walked back to the console he had been working on a minute ago.

The young man smiled at Martha and the Doctor. "I'm Lieutenant Mike Thompson," he introduced himself and shook their hands. "You can call me Mike," he added and smiled at Martha.

Martha smiled back. "Nice to meet you, Mike. I'm Martha and this is the Doctor."

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**AN:** Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think and review.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thanks to my beta reader Persiflage and to all of you who reviewed the last chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

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**Chapter 3**

"There are about twenty shields around this station. They protect us against the weapons of attacking ships. Every shield protects a different part of the station. The edges of the shields overlap each other. That is easier than generating one big shield around the spacestation. Each shield has a generator and every generator is linked to one much bigger main generator in the centre of the station. Unfortunately, that is the one that was damaged. Just a small part of the station gets exposed if one of the smaller generators is damaged. But the main generator is damaged which means we have no shield at all," Mike explained to the Doctor and Martha on their way to the main generator.

"So you are a technician on this station?" Martha asked him. The Doctor started to feel uncomfortable because of the interest in her voice as she spoke to the young man. He wondered why that was bothering him. He wasn't used to feel that way just because she seemed to like someone.

"Yes," Mike answered. "Actually, I am the chief engineer here." He gave her a proud smile. Martha smiled back at him. She noticed that Mike was flirting with her a bit. She enjoyed getting this kind of attention after spending so much time with someone she loved who didn't show any interest in her. And Mike really was a nice guy.

"When did you start working on this station?" she asked him.

"I started almost a year ago. I really like working here. My colleagues are very nice and even Captain Bennett isn't that bad, if you know him better."

"And where is your family?"

"My parents and my brother live on Earth."

"Do you see them often?" Martha asked.

"Just twice since I came here. I miss them from time to time. But I enjoy my job and I know they are proud of me." He smiled at her again. "What about you?" he asked.

"I have my parents, a sister and a brother. They're on Earth."

They had reached the door of the room in which the generator was housed. Mike opened the lock and they stepped inside. Mike looked at Martha again and opened his mouth to ask her something else, but before he could say anything the Doctor turned around to them.

"Could you two stop babbling? We don't have time for that." It came out harsher than he had intended.

Martha couldn't stop being angry with the Doctor as watched him and Mike working on the generator. Why did he have to be so rude? She and Mike had just talked and flirted a bit, and it really felt good. But the Doctor just had to ruin the mood, hadn't he?

She remembered that he hadn't looked happy about how well she and Mike were getting on as they made their way here. Martha couldn't think why it even mattered to him that she was flirting a bit with someone else. It wasn't like he had ever shown any interest in her in that way.

The only explanation for his behaviour Martha could think of was that he was jealous. But she dismissed that thought immediately as soon as it crossed her mind. The last thing she needed was to get her hopes up again that he might return her feelings one day. She just would get hurt again. She had to accept that he would never love her.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked at the two men working on the generator. In that moment she noticed the Doctor had been watching her. He averted his eyes as soon as she returned his gaze.

She walked toward the two men. "Can I help you with anything?" she asked, not wanting to stand there and watch them working any longer.

"Could you take a look at that display over there and tell us if anything changes?" Mike asked, smiling at her.

"Sure."

...

While Mike explained to him what he and his team had found out about the damage so far, the Doctor couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier. He was only half listening to what Mike told him.

He had snapped at Mike and Martha for no particular reason at all. He couldn't deny any longer that he had more than friendly feelings for Martha. He had been as jealous as a teenager because of her mild flirting with Mike.

The first time they had travelled together he had tried to push her away anytime he started to have these kind of feelings for her. He realised know he had treated her badly because of that.

He had felt guilty because it had been a lot easier for him to get over the pain of losing Rose and start to feel something for someone else than he thought it should. He had felt that he owed Rose something. She was the one to help him after the darkest time of his life, after the Time War. He had been feeling so much better having her travelling with him. But his feelings for her weren't as strong as he had thought they were after losing her. He had just needed someone and had persuaded himself into believing that he needed Rose. It wasn't like he had never loved her. He just had to admit now that he was feeling more for someone else.

Martha was the person that made him think about the War. Rose had never asked him any personal questions. That had been quite comfortable at that time. But that also meant that she wasn't interested in him as a person. But Martha was. She had done so much more for him than Rose ever had. She had saved his life so many times, had made him deal with his feelings about the War, and she had walked the Earth to save him and her planet. She had looked after him in 1913 even though it had been so hard for her. She was always there when he needed her. And all he did was treat her badly and make her think that she could never keep up with Rose, which simply wasn't true. He had never appreciated her as he should.

He let his eyes shift to where Martha leaned against the wall, gazing at the floor with a faraway look in her beautiful brown eyes. Then she looked up and their eyes met. The Doctor quickly averted his gaze back to where he was supposed to be working on the machine.

Martha Jones, the most compassionate, intelligent and most beautiful person he had ever met.

Maybe it wasn't too late, and he should get over the fear of losing someone close to him again and tell her how he felt. But he wasn't sure if he was able to do that.

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**AN:** I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter should be up in a week. Please review and let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Thanks for all the reviews I got for the last chapter! I'm glad you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. And a big thank you to Persiflage for beta reading.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

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**Chapter 4**

A smile spread across the Doctor's face as he put his sonic screwdriver back into his pocket.

"It's working!" Mike exclaimed happily. He stood in front of a display to check the data it showed. "We did it."

"Oh yes!" The Doctor grinned at him. While the two of them had been working on the generator the Doctor had tried to be nicer to Mike. He had realised that he had been jealous because of the other man's flirting with Martha and he knew that it wouldn't help to act like a total prat. Martha surely didn't appreciate his earlier behaviour.

Martha smiled at both of them. "Good work!" she said.

"We should get back and tell Captain Bennett the good news," the Doctor said.

...

Captain Bennett immediately walked towards them as soon as they reached the control room of the space station.

"Did you manage to repair the damage?" he asked them.

"Yes, the generator is working," Mike reported. "We can activate the shields now."

"Well done!" Captain Bennett walked away to give the order.

The woman with the ponytail whom the Doctor and Martha had seen the first time they were in this room approached them.

"This is Lieutenant Vanessa Wright," Mike introduced her. The woman smiled at them, before she turned toward Mike.

"We have just found out why the ship is holding its position," she told him.

"Did you send a probe?" the Doctor asked her.

"Yes," she said, turning around to look at him. "That is how we found out. It's the same ship that attacked us the last time. We could see the damage from our weapons on the hull. They must have been just out of reach of our sensors the entire time to repair their ship. And they seem to be almost ready."

"But why is it the same ship? The Ladurians must have more than just one," Martha interjected. "Why don't they fly home and send another ship, or even more than one?"

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed a bit too loudly. Some of the people in the room looked up from their work to stare at him. But he didn't seem to notice as he ran a hand through his hair and made it even more unruly in the process. "The Ladurians are maybe not the nicest people in the universe, but I don't think their government would attack someone without provocation. Not even when they really want the natural resources the planet below us holds."

"So you mean the Ladurians who attacked this station aren't under orders from their government," Martha said. "And they only have one ship."

"Well, that's good news," Vanessa said. "We were afraid they might return with more ships. We wouldn't stand a chance if they did." She looked at her watch. "It's getting late. And I don't think the Ladurians will attack tonight." She looked at Martha and the Doctor. "You might want to get off this space station as soon as possible, given the danger. I wouldn't blame you. But if you want to stay and help us you are more than welcome after you repaired the shield generator. We need all the help we can get."

The Doctor and Martha exchanged glances.

"I think we will stay for a bit," the Doctor answered.

...

Martha stood in front of a small window in the cabin she and the Doctor shared. The Doctor had left to talk to Captain Bennett after they'd had dinner in the cafeteria with Mike. Vanessa had told him Bennett wanted a word with him.

She had also informed them that there was only one free room they could stay in while they were here. The Doctor had told her that wasn't a problem.

Martha sighted as she turned around to look at the bed that occupied the biggest part of the small room. She could clearly remember the first time they had shared a bed when they had met Shakespeare. It was a disaster. He had talked about Rose and how she would know what to do in that situation.

It had been much better in 1969 when they had pretended to be married. But she couldn't say that she had enjoyed it either. She had hoped that the three months they lived together and shared a bed would change their relationship. But all they did in that bed was sleep.

She didn't really want to share a bed with him again. She clearly still wasn't over him after all the time since they were stuck in 1969.

She sighed again as she walked to one side of the bed. She took off her jacket, her shoes and her trousers before she climbed into the bed and pulled the duvet over her body. She didn't want to take her trousers off while the Doctor was in the room. She would have felt awkward. And she didn't really want to sleep in her trousers either so it was best to get into bed while he was still talking with Bennett.

The door opened and the Doctor walked in. He smiled at her as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"What did Bennett want?" Martha asked him.

"Lieutenant Wright told him that I know some things about the Ladurians. He wanted some information about them. I think he's started to trust me after I fixed the shield generator."

He started to undress for bed and Martha tuned her head to look out of the window. When she looked at him again he was climbing into the bed next to her. He was wearing a T-shirt he must have been wearing under his dress shirt and shorts.

"You were very quiet when we were in the cafeteria with Mike," she said. While they had dinner she and Mike had talked the entire time, but he hadn't said a word. She wondered if something was bothering him.

"I was just thinking about the situation with the Ladurians," he answered. Martha couldn't shake off the feeling that something was bothering him. But she decided against pushing him into telling her. She knew him well enough to know that she wouldn't get him to open up if he didn't want to.

"Do you know what we can do to stop them if they attack again?" she asked instead. The fact that they couldn't do anything but wait for the Ladurians to attack was making her nervous.

"I'll think of something," he said. "You know we have been in worse situations."

"I know but the waiting makes me a bit nervous," she admitted.

He opened his arms for her and she gratefully snuggled up to him.

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**AN:** Please let me know what you think. The next chapter will be up in a week because I usually only write on weekends. And this fic isn't that easy to write because English is not my native language.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews I got for the last chapter. They really keep me writing. And as alway thank you to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

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**Chapter 5**

The next morning the Doctor and Martha met Mike in the cafeteria. He was waiting for them at the same table where they had sat the evening before for dinner.

"Good morning!" Mike greeted them as they sat down. "How did you sleep?"

"Very good, thanks," Martha said, remembering last night when she had fallen asleep in the Doctor's arms with her head on his chest, listening to his hearts beating. She immediately pushed that thought out of her mind. She had to stop pining after someone she couldn't have.

She started talking to Mike while she ate her breakfast.

...

The Doctor sat next to Martha and watched her talking to Mike while he quietly ate his breakfast. It was easy to see that the two humans liked each other. And he didn't like the thought of that.

He wasn't angry with Mike any more. He had been the day before but he couldn't really blame him for trying. And he knew that Martha would probably choose him and not Mike if she knew how he felt about her. She had told him that she was in love with him when she had left him after the Year. And he could still see her love for him in her eyes when she looked at him now. She had always loved him even after everything he had put her through.

And he was too afraid to admit his feelings. He had lost everyone he ever cared for and he was afraid of losing someone close to him again. And he knew that he would lose her some day. Humans only had a short lifespan compared to his.

He had tried to keep her at arm's length the entire time they had travelled together. But it didn't work. And he knew he was going to lose her very soon to someone like Mike who showed interest in her. She had told him she only wanted to travel with him for a short time before returning home when she had called him a few days ago.

Maybe it was best to tell her the truth and make the best of the time they had left together.

...

Lieutenant Vanessa Wright walked into the control room. It was still very early in the morning but Captain Bennett was already there, watching one of the screens. Vanessa wasn't surprised he was already there. He wasn't the only member of the crew who got to work far too early. Everyone was nervous. They had prepared the station for an attack as best as they could. Now they were waiting for their enemies to make the first move.

"Good morning, Sir," Vanessa greeted Captain Bennett.

"Lieutenant," Bennett responded. He looked up as she approached him.

"Any changes?" she asked.

"They just hold their position. But their weapon systems are working again. They destroyed our probe."

Vanessa walked to one of the consoles to start her work. But only minutes later she stopped again as one of the crew members called Bennett's name.

"What is it?" Bennett asked the man.

"Sir, the ship just started moving. I think they are coming in our direction."

"How long till they are here?"

"Only about five minutes," the crew member answered.

"Activate the alarm," Bennett ordered. "I want everyone in their positions."

...

Mike had just started to tell Martha about a planet he had visited with his parents when he was a child as the alarm started.

"Does this mean the Ladurians are coming?" Martha asked.

"I'm afraid so," said Mike. He stood up. "We should get to the control room."

The Doctor and Martha stood up as well and followed him out of the cafeteria.

"Unfortunately the cafeteria isn't near the control room," Mike told them. "I hope we will get there before the attack starts."

...

About five minutes after the crew member had noticed the ship moving it arrived near the space station. As soon as it was in weapons range it started firing.

"Return fire!" Bennett yelled. He noticed that the ship concentrated its fire at one part of the space station. It wasn't a part of the station with important systems so the shield there wasn't as strong as the shields around other parts of the space station. The Ladurians hadn't done that the last time they had attacked. It was only a matter of time till the shield around that part of the space station would break down. And then the Ladurians would be able to get on board. Captain Bennett suspected that that was what they were planning to do.

...

When the attack began the Doctor, Martha and Mike were still on their way to the control room. They could feel a jolting every time the space station was hit by the weapons of the Ladurian ship.

They had had to take a longer way because one of the lifts still wasn't working from the last attack.

After some time the jolting stopped. Mike led them on the fastest way he could think of. They climbed up a ladder and reached a corridor in a part of the space station which, according to Mike, mostly held storage rooms for the metal and other natural resources. The resources were mined by machines on the planet and were stored here until ships took them to Earth.

A display on a wall caught the Doctor's attention. It was blinking. He walked over to it to take a look.

"Doctor, we should keep going!" Martha called.

"According to this the shield around this area isn't working anymore," the Doctor told them.

"Then why did the Ladurians stop firing?" Mike asked. Martha and the Doctor exchanged a glance. Then the Doctor started walking again. "We should get away from here," he said.

They turned a corner to find themselves in front of a group of aliens with guns pointing at them. They looked like big reptiles with orange, scaled skin and dark green eyes.

Martha noticed that Mike wasn't behind her any more. She hoped he had got away.

* * *

**AN: **I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think. Next chapter will hopefully be up in a week.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Sorry this took so long. I wasn't feeling well.

Thanks to all who have reviewed the last chapter and, of cause, to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Captain Bennett stared at one of the screens that showed the Ladurian ship that now clung to the hull of his spacestation.

Some of the systems had failed while the Ladurians were attacking, including their weapons systems. They had been unable to do anything to stop them when one of the shield generators had been damaged and the Ladurians had docked on to the unprotected section.

"Seal off the entire area!" Bennett ordered. Maybe the Ladurians were on his station but no one could get out of that part of the spacestation now.

Bennett suspected that the Ladurians wanted to take over the spacestation rather than destroying it because of the machines on the planet. They wanted the natural resources the machines mined on the planet and they needed the station intact to use these machines for themselves.

And Bennett would do anything he could to stop them.

...

Two of the Ladurians the Doctor and Martha had run into pushed them through a door into a storage room near to where the Ladurian ship clung to the hull. They hadn't seen anything of Mike on their way here so they hoped that he had got away.

In the room were at least thirty Ladurians. They were all armed so it wouldn't be easy for Martha and the Doctor to escape. The two Ladurians who had brought them here pushed them again to make them walk to the other side of the room. On their way there the Doctor managed to take a look into an open container they passed.

When they reached the wall on the other side of the room and with about thirty armed Ladurians between them and the only door, one of the Ladurians told them to sit on the floor and wait. Martha and the Doctor did as they were told. He then moved over to a group of other Ladurians, but kept an eye on them. The other Ladurian stayed near them. He leaned against a container and watched them.

"You have a plan how we can get out of here, don't you?" whispered Martha.

"Not yet," the Doctor whispered back. "They clearly want something from us. Otherwise they wouldn't have brought us here. Let's wait and see what that is. Maybe we can talk to them."

"They don't look like they want to talk," Martha whispered.

"Maybe not but we should at least try. " He gave her a reassuring smile and took her hand into his and held it tight. They remained like this for a bit till a Ladurian approached them. He had an authoritative look on his face. The Doctor assumed that he had a higher rank than the Ladurians they had met first.

"Stand up!" he ordered them. The Doctor arose from where he had been sitting on the floor and helped Martha up. He still held her hand.

"Your captain has sealed off this entire section. You will help us to break this seal!" the Ladurian told them.

"Bennett is not our captain. We're not even part of this crew. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Martha. And your name was?"

"Do you know how to break the seal?" asked the Ladurian.

"Well, maybe, but I really don't want to do that," the Doctor answered.

"You will help us or we will kill you both!"

"How do we know you won't kill us anyway?" Martha asked him.

"You don't," the Ladurian said. He looked at the Doctor again. "If you don't cooperate we will kill the female first, and then you. I'll let you think about it. When I return I want to hear your answer." He turned around and walked away.

Two Ladurians approached them. One of them tied the Doctors hands together behind his back. The other one did the same with Martha. After they were finished they ordered them to sit down again while the Ladurians stayed nearby to watch them. They were both armed.

...

Mike was completely exhausted when he finally reached the control room. He had run the entire way after the Doctor and Martha had been caught by the Ladurians.

Mike had been walking behind Martha, so he had been able to stay around the corner; as soon as he'd noticed the Ladurians, he had turned around and run the other way. He felt like a coward for leaving them but he knew that there was nothing he could have done. The only way he could help Martha and the Doctor was to convince Captain Bennett to help them.

He walked into the control room and spotted Bennett on the other side of the room. He was talking to Vanessa.

Mike approached them. Just as he reached them, Bennett turned around to look at him. "Lieutenant!" he greeted.

"Sir, there are Ladurians on this station," Mike began.

"I know," Bennett interrupted him. "We have sealed them off"

"But we were in that section. The Doctor, Martha and me. I managed to get away but the Doctor and Martha were captured by a group of Ladurians. We have to help them"

"I can't risk the station or the lives of my crew for two strangers. We don't even know who they are or how they got here."

"But we can't just leave them!" Mike said.

"As soon as we open a way into the section the Ladurians are in they would be able to leave that section. I can't risk that."

"We can't let the Ladurians stay on this spacestation anyway," Vanessa put in. "Sooner or later they'll find a way to break the seal. They might even force the Doctor to break it for them. You know that he knows a lot about our systems."

Bennett thought about that for a moment. "Fine, put a team together," Bennett said to Vanessa. "But don't take too much risk. As soon as you get into too much trouble I want you to leave there immediately, whether you've found our two guests or not."

"Yes, Sir," Vanessa answered and left the room.

...

"Do you think Mike was able to get away?" Martha whispered. She didn't want the two Ladurians who were guarding them to be able to hear her.

"I really hope so," the Doctor whispered back. "Maybe he can convince Bennett to help us."

"This must be the first time you don't know how to get us out of the trouble" Martha said.

"I'll think of something," the Doctor answered.

He let his gaze wander through the room. But there were too many Ladurians. He hoped that something would change to their advantage.

"I know you just wanted to have a bit of a holiday after your exams and I got us into trouble again."

"I know by now that travelling with you always ends like this." Martha smiled at him. "And I really missed this. Even the getting into trouble part."

He stared into her beautiful brown eyes as he remembered how much he himself had missed her after she had left him after that Year.

"I missed travelling with you, too," he whispered. He stared at her for a moment. Then he slowly leaned closer and kissed her. He felt that she was surprised at first, but she didn't pull away. He deepened the kiss and she parted her lips to let him in.

He didn't care that the two Ladurians were still watching them or that this really wasn't the best time for this. He just didn't want her to leave him ever again.

* * *

**AN:** Please review and let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews I got for the last chapter. And as alway thank you to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

He kissed her tenderly. For Martha, time seemed to stand still. It didn't matter anymore that they were held captive by some armed aliens who had threatened to kill them if they didn't help them to take over a spacestation in the 47th century. All she could think of now were his lips on hers and the way he tasted as her tongue explored his mouth.

He slowly broke the kiss a few minutes later. Her eyes remained closed for a few moments longer before she opened them to look into his warm brown eyes. She was still completely stunned by what had just happened. She opened her mouth but before she could say anything she was interrupted by the Ladurian they had spoken to earlier approaching them.

"Have you decided if you are going to help us?" he asked with mock politeness.

"Well, it's not really a good deal for us, isn't it?" the Doctor asked in the way he always talked to enemies in risky situations: like he wasn't taking them seriously. "I mean you expect us to betray our friends and you can't even guarantee us that you won't kill us as soon as you don't need us anymore."

The Ladurian just smiled at him and pointed his gun at Martha's head before asking: "Is that your final answer?"

The Doctor looked nervously at the gun. "All right," he said. "I'll help you. Just leave her alone!"

The Ladurian put his gun down. "Stand up!" he ordered.

Martha had some difficulty getting to her feed with her hands still tied behind her back. As soon as they were both standing the Ladurian led them out of the room. The two guards who had watched them while they had been waiting in the room followed them.

"I hope you are not really planning to help them," Martha whispered.

"Of course not," the Doctor whispered back. "I'm just trying to buy us some time."

"Be quiet!" one of the guards bawled at them.

They followed the leader of the Ladurians silently as he led them through the corridors towards the place where the way to the control room was sealed off. On their way they passed more Ladurians and Martha realised how many of them were actually on the spacestation.

They walked for a few minutes till the Ladurian leader stopped and raised his hand to signal that they and their guards to wait. Only seconds later Martha heard what had caught his attention: the sound of shouting and gunfire. The Ladurian looked at the two guards. "You're coming with me!" he said to one of them. "And you will wait here and keep an eye on the prisoners," he ordered the other one. Then he ran towards the source of the noise. One of the guards followed him.

"Only one left," the Doctor murmured.

"What is that noise?" Martha whispered.

"I think our new friends might have decided to help us."

The Ladurian who had been ordered to stay with them was getting nervous. He took some steps away from them toward the source of the noise as if he hoped he could see what was going on.

"When I say run, run," the Doctor whispered. Martha nodded in return.

But the Ladurian stayed too close to them to risk an escape.

After a while the noise died down. The Ladurian who had stayed with them was getting more and more nervous with every second. He kept starring at the end of the corridor where his two friends had disappeared around the corner. And then they could hear footsteps.

"Stay close to the wall," the Doctor whispered.

And then everything happened very fast. Martha could hear the shot and the Ladurian next to them dropped to the floor. When she turned her head to see who had shot him, Vanessa was already running towards them.

"Are you all right," Vanessa asked as she untied the Doctors hands. One of the crewmen who had followed her walked towards Martha and untied her hands.

"We're fine," the Doctor answered.

"Is Mike alright?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, he got away and told us what had happened to you," Vanessa told her. "We need to get out of here before more Ladurians show up. I've already lost two members of my team."

They followed Vanessa and her team as they ran down the corridor and around the corner. They were already very close to the place where a way into the sealed-off area had been opened.

As they reached it they found three of Vanessa's men on the floor. They had been shot by Ladurian weapons.

Vanessa immediately gave the order to search the station and to seal off the section they had just left again.

...

"Now we are in trouble," she said as she, the Doctor and Martha walked back to the control room where Mike and Captain Bennett were waiting. "I've absolutely no idea how I should explain to the captain that at least one Ladurian is now walking around on his spacestation and we have no idea where. Anyway, what happened before we got you out?"

The Doctor told her what had happened after they were captured. Martha was silent while he talked to Vanessa. Now that the immediate danger was over something else that had happened while they were captured came back to her mind. She wondered why the Doctor had kissed her. She wasn't sure if it even meant something to him. He had never given her any reason to believe that he was interested in her in that way. But she couldn't think of any other explanation. Maybe he had just kissed her because they were in a dangerous situation with no way out. But they were in situations like that all the time and he had never kissed her before, apart from that genetic transfer. She decided to ask him what that kiss really meant after this was over. For now she had to concentrate on the problem with the Ladurians. Her feelings would have to wait.

* * *

**AN:** Please review and let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all, if you are an author and get an type 2 error every time you try to update your story, go to the link bar while you see the error message and change the word "property" in the link into "content". Then you should be able to update. **

**AN:** Thank you for all the reviews. They always make my day :) And a big thank you to my beta reader Persiflage.**  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Mike came running towards them as soon as Martha, the Doctor and Vanessa reached the control room.

"Are you two alright?" he asked Martha.

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks to Vanessa," Martha answered.

"Because of that rescue mission we now have a Ladurian running around on my spacestation," said Captain Bennett. He came towards them with a stern look on his face.

"If we hadn't done anything the Ladurians would have forced them to help them to get out of that section. The rescue mission was the right thing to do," Vanessa told him.

Bennett glared at her. "Well, you're head of security. Do your job and find that Ladurian before he has the chance to do any damage!" He turned away and left the three of them standing near the entrance of the control room.

"Your captain really is a nice guy," Martha said sarcastically. She didn't like the way he was talking to Vanessa.

"Bennett might not be the nicest person in the universe, but he is a really good commanding officer. This station wouldn't be here anymore without him. He's just worried right now and grouching at people is his way of handling it," Mike explained.

"I know, but Vanessa is doing a great job. He could at least acknowledge that. She has saved our lives," Martha said.

Mike just nodded in response.

"Mike, can I ask you something?" the Doctor asked. "When we were in that storage room with the Ladurians I had a chance to look into one of the containers. I noticed some very rare alien crystals in that container. They can only be found on very few planets. Are they one of the reasons this spacestation was build here?"

"Yes. There are unusually many of them on the planet we are orbiting. We use them to produce energy. Why is that important?"

"Ladurians used to build weapons which used those crystals. They don't build weapons like that anymore, but there are still plenty of the old weapons left. They are useless now, because they don't have the crystals anymore. Laduria was one of the planets the crystals were found on, but there aren't any left today."

"So the Ladurians on this station want these crystals to make the weapons working again?" Martha said. "That would mean they really are criminal. Very dangerous ones."

"They are definitely more dangerous than we first thought," the Doctor said.

"Are they dangerous enough that their government is after them?"

"Could be," the Doctor said. "Usually they don't care if some of their people attack other species, but in this case they might actually help us."

Martha grinned. "Can we contact them," she asked.

"Their planet is within reach of our long range communication system. They are much closer than Earth. We would have to wait more than two week till one of our ships arrives here," Mike said. "We have to tell Captain Bennett."

...

After they had explained what they had just worked out Captain Bennett gave the order to contact Laduria.

"I hope you are right," Bennett told them. "It's only a matter of time till the Ladurians find out how to break the lock around the section they are in, and when that happens we are really in trouble."

"Sir," a crewman said to get Bennett's attention. "Our long range transmitter isn't working. We can't contact Laduria."

Bennett reached toward the console next to him and opened an intercom channel.

"Lieutenant Wright," he said as he called Vanessa. "Check transmitter control. I have reason to believe that your Ladurian is there somewhere sabotaging my station."

"I can contact Laduria from the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "You two, stay here!" he said, looking at Martha and Mike, before he ran towards the door.

"You can't go out there alone, there's still a Ladurian out there," Mike called after him, but the Doctor had already left the room.

"I'll go after him," Martha said.

Mike gripped her hand. "Martha, wait," he said. "It's too dangerous."

"Yes, that's why I have to look after the Doctor," Martha answered half-joking. "Stay here. They need you here. We will be fine" She turned around and ran after the Doctor.

Mike was torn between going after her and staying, but he knew that Martha was right. He was needed here. The Station was still damaged. He had to do his duty.

He hoped Martha and the Doctor were going to be alright.

...

The Doctor ran down a corridor while trying to remember the way back to the TARDIS. He stopped at a cross-way and looked around. The corridor to his right looked familiar.

In that moment he noticed the sound of footsteps behind him coming closer. He turned around, expecting to see Martha. He didn't really think she would stay in the control room just because he told her to.

But walking around a corner behind him was a Ladurian, aiming a gun at him. It was the same Ladurian he and Martha had spoken to during their time as prisoners of the Ladurians. And he grinned at him.

"So, you managed to get away," the Doctor said.

"Yes, and I sabotaged some of your systems. I just didn't manage to deactivate the lock around the section were my crew is in yet."

"So you are their leader!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I thought you were, but I wasn't sure. You never introduced yourself. That was kind of rude, actually."

"You will help me or I will kill you," the Ladurian said.

...

Martha ran down the corridor as fast as she could. She had hoped to catch up with the Doctor by now, but she knew that he was very fast. If he ran the entire way she probably wouldn't catch up with him before he reached the TARDIS.

She ran around a corner and stopped when she saw a Ladurian. He stood just around the next corner. All she could see of him were his back and tail.

She carefully moved closer towards him. The Ladurian was talking to someone. And she heard the voice of the Doctor answering him. Of cause it was him. He really attracted trouble like honey attracted flies.

"You will help me, or I will kill you," she heard the Ladurian saying. Martha picked up a piece of debris that was still lying on the floor from the last attack. It was a short metal bar. She moved carefully closer again while the Doctor answered: "This deal is even worse than last time. We both know you would kill me anyway."

Martha reached the Ladurian and hit the back of his head with the metal bar. The Ladurian slumped down to the floor and lost consciousness.

"Martha!" the Doctor exclaimed as he ran toward her. He hugged her close to him.

"He is going to be alright, is he?" she asked the Doctor as soon as he let go of her. She let go of the metal bar and couched down next to the unconscious Ladurian to examine him. "I don't want to be responsible for any serious damage, even if he wanted to kill you."

"Don't worry. Ladurians have very thick skulls. He will wake up very soon. That's why we need to get away from here." He took her hand and helped her back to her feet. Then they resumed making their way back to the TARDIS.

* * *

**AN:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think an review.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. And thank you to Persiflage for beta reading.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Martha watched the Doctor as he worked on the console to send a message to Laduria. After a few minutes he stepped away from the console and moved to where she stood near the door of the TARDIS.

"I've sent the message," the Doctor told her. "Now all we can do is wait for their reaction."

"Let's go back to the control room," Martha said. They left the TARDIS and made their way back. When they got near the place where they had met the Ladurian they saw Vanessa and two other crewmen running toward them. They stopped when they reached them.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Vanessa. "We've got a Ladurian on the loose. You should be in the control room."

"Yeah, we've met the Ladurian," Martha said. "He was unconscious when we left him. I hit him with a metal bar. It was at the end of this corridor in the direction were you came from."

"He wasn't there anymore. He must have woken up before we got there," Vanessa said.

She seemed to be very worried about the whole situation. And Martha understood perfectly why. This one Ladurian could do much damage. He already had. They needed to find him as soon as possible, preferably before he was able to deactivate the lock-down around the section with the other Ladurians. Or they would be in even more trouble.

"We should have made sure he couldn't get away. Like tying him up or something," Martha said.

"That wouldn't have stopped him," the Doctor told her. "Ladurians are stronger than humans. And he would have woken up before we could finish tying him up."

"Do you have any idea where he might go?" Vanessa asked.

"He will try to find a way to deactivate the lock-down. He already tried but it didn't work. That's why he wanted to force me to do it. That was before Martha knocked him out," the Doctor told her. "He will try again. And he will sabotage vital systems if he gets the chance."

Vanessa nodded. "I will place guards everywhere he is likely to show up. And we will keep searching for him. Sooner or later we will find him." She paused for a moment. "You two should get back. The control room and the section around it are the only safe places right now."

"But we could help you," Martha said.

"There is nothing you could do. We know every inch of this station. You don't. And we are trained for something like this. Just leave it to us. You've been through enough in the last hours.

She ordered one of her men to escort them back to the control room despite the protest of both Martha and the Doctor.

"Did you contact Laduria?" asked Vanessa before they parted company.

"Yes," the Doctor answered. "I don't think they will send us a reply, so we just have to wait and see if they will do something," the Doctor answered.

Vanessa left to resume her search for the Ladurian. Martha and the Doctor made their way back to the control room.

"I feel a bit bad for not helping her and for going back into the safe area while she is out here," Martha said.

"She was right," the Doctor answered. "She is trained for it. We will be of more use for Captain Bennett and your friend Mike."

Martha paused a moment. There was something in his voice when he said "your friend Mike". It sounded almost jealous. Was it possible that he was jealous because of her flirting with Mike before all this happened? It wasn't the first time that she had this impression since they landed on this spacestation. She had thought she was imagining it. But that was before he had kissed her. That kiss that made absolutely no sense in her mind. He wasn't interested in her like this.

She shook her head. It was just wishful thinking. Surely his feelings for her hadn't changed. Why would they? This was just her seeing things she wanted to see. There was still nothing she wanted more than for him to see her. Really see her. But he didn't. He still had feelings for someone else and would never have those kind of feelings for her. After two years with him she was sure of that. She had to stop hoping and hearing jealousy in his voice when there was none.

But something made no sense: Why did he kiss her?

She pushed that thought out of her mind. She would ask him what it meant when this was all over. She wanted to hear an explanation. But she didn't think he would tell her what she wanted to hear.

...

When they reached the control room they were greeted by Mike and Captain Bennett. The Doctor told Bennett about their meeting with the Ladurian and everything else that happened after they had left to contact Laduria. Bennett wasn't pleased that the Ladurian had got away again, but he said that it was good that they now knew what he was going to do. He was confident that Vanessa would find him soon.

After the conversation with Bennett the Doctor helped Mike who was trying to fix the systems that had been sabotaged by the Ladurian. Martha went to help the medical personnel with the crewmen who had been injured during the attack. There was only one other doctor on the spacestation so the medical team had been having problems looking after everyone who had been injured. They were very grateful for Martha's help.

It took them a while to look after everyone who had been injured and three hours after Martha had joined them they got two new patients. They were members of Vanessa's team had been injured when they had almost caught the Ladurian.

...

Hours past and it was late evening by the time every patient had been treated. Martha met the Doctor and Mike in a small room that had been converted into a temporary cafeteria because the usual one was too far away from the control room. The entire crew was now in the section around the control room except Vanessa and her team.

"Hey," she greeted them. The Doctor smiled at her and patted the char next to him to invite her to sit down. She gripped a tray with food and sat down on the chair.

"Did you hear something from Vanessa?" she asked and started eating. The dinner was already cold because everyone else had eaten hours ago, but she was very hungry and didn't mind that much.

"Not after they brought the two crewmen back who had been injured, so you probably know more than us," the Doctor answered.

"All we know is that the Ladurian hasn't sabotaged anything again. Till now," Mike added.

The door opened again and Captain Bennett walked in. He looked very tired after hours of worrying and had dark circles under his eyes.

"Sir," Mike greeted him. Bennett nodded. He gripped a tray with dinner like Martha had done before and sat down on the last free chair at their table.

"I wanted to thank you both for your help," he said to Martha and the Doctor.

"It was our pleasure," Martha said.

They sat there in companionable silence for a while, Martha and Captain Bennett both eating. But then they were interrupted by the alarm sounding for the third time since Martha and the Doctor had arrived. They abandoned their dinner and ran out of the room. Outside they saw Vanessa running toward them.

"What's going on?" Bennett asked.

"Sorry, sir," she began. "The Ladurian got past us. He managed to open one of the sealed doors to the section the other Ladurians were locked in."

"Are you saying ...," Bennett began.

"Yes sir. We have now 85 Ladurians running around freely on this spacestation."

* * *

**AN:** Please let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Thank you all for reviewing. And as always thank you to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The Doctor, Martha, Vanessa and Mike followed Bennett back to the control room. He started bellowing orders as soon as the door opened in front of him. Martha heard him ordering someone to seal off another section.

"What is he doing?" Martha asked Vanessa.

"There are more Ladurians than we are. We don't stand a chance. The crew was already evacuated into this section hours ago. Captain Bennett is sealing us in."

"And that means we can't get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said.

...

Martha felt completely helpless. All she could do was watch Captain Bennett's crew sealing them in. The only thing that kept a group of 85 Ladurians who wanted to kill them and take over the space station away were a few sealed doors.

While the Ladurians were the ones sealed in it hadn't been that scary. They had still been in control. But not anymore. It was only a matter of time till the Ladurians would get through those sealed doors. And that would most likely happen before a ship from Earth could reach them. Their only hope was that the government on Laduria would send a ship for the criminals.

The crew started to arrange everything for being sealed off in this area for an unknown amount of time. Martha helped a group of crew members to create some makeshift beds out of mattresses, blankets and pillows. She was glad to have found something to occupy herself with, even if she didn't really think that anyone would find much sleep that night.

After they finished their task Martha sat down on one of the makeshift beds. The Doctor, Mike and Vanessa joined her moments later. The Doctor sat down next to her, and Mike and Vanessa on the bed opposite of them.

"What exactly happened out there," Mike asked Vanessa. The chief security officer sighed before she answered.

"I left two guards in front of every door to the section the Ladurians were in. The doors were locked. No one can open them without a specific code. On one side of the door, the side to the area with the Ladurians was a force field directly in front of the door so no one could break it open. But there is no force field on the other side," she explained Martha and the Doctor. "The Ladurian killed both guards," she continued. "I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. All I know is that two of my men didn't reply when I tried to contact them. I decided to check why they didn't reply, but when I and my men reached the door it was already open, and the two crewmen lay dead on the floor in front of it. We tried to close the door again but a group of Ladurians attacked us and we had to leave."

"He most likely cut off the power supply to the door. The lock is only safe on one side. And normally that is enough," Mike said.

They sat there in companionable silence for a few minutes till a crewman approached them to tell Vanessa and Mike that Captain Bennett wanted to see them. "Try to get some rest," Vanessa suggested. "We'll let you know if something happens." She and Mike stood up and left the room.

"Do you think the Ladurian government will do something?" Martha asked after a few minutes of silence.

"They won't risk a war with Earth. And if we are right and they are looking for the Ladurians on this station I don't see why they wouldn't come," he answered. "And if they don't, I'll just think of something else." He grinned at her.

Martha grinned back at him. She was never really afraid when he was with her because she knew he would always find a way to sort things out. They had been through so much together and she trusted him completely.

She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. It had been a long day and she was starting to feel a bit tired. She closed her eyes to relax a bit. The Doctors laid his arms around her and held her close.

...

Vanessa and Mike met Captain Bennett in the control room. The captain wanted to speak with his entire senior staff because of the current crisis. They had been discussing ideas on how to protect the sealed area for as long as possible when they were interrupted by a crewman.

"Sir," the man said to Captain Bennett. "Our sensors are picking up another ship."

"Is it Ladurian?" Bennett asked. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath.

The crewman nodded.

"Now it gets interesting," Bennett said.

...

Martha was still sitting on the bed with her head on the Doctor's shoulder when a crewman approached them. Martha didn't know his name but she had seen him before. He worked in the control room. Martha and the Doctor had seen him there when they first arrived.

She reluctantly lifted her head off the Doctor's shoulder to look at the new arrival.

"Captain Bennett asked me two tell you that he wants to see you both," the man said.

"Did he say why?" the Doctor asked. He stood up and helped Martha to her feet.

"A Ladurian ship arrived. They responded to the message you sent them."

Martha felt a bit relieved. She didn't know yet whether the Ladurians would help them but at least something was happening.

They followed the crewman to the control room. When they walked in they were greeted by Captain Bennett, Vanessa and Mike. And they didn't look pleased.

"What happened?" asked the Doctor.

"Another Ladurian ship arrived," Bennett said. "And they sent us a message." He indicated towards a screen. The Doctor walked toward it to read the message.

"What does it say?" Martha asked. She couldn't see the screen because the Doctor was standing right in front of it.

"They have scanned us and found out that the spacestation seemed to be under control of the criminal Ladurians." Bennett said. "They don't know we are still here."

"And what does that mean?" Martha asked,

"They sent this message in case that there are still humans left on the station," the Doctor said. "They give us an hour to contact them and tell them that we are still here. Then they will come on board and help us capture the criminal Ladurians. They will be put on trial and most likely be executed. But if they don't get a message they will just get rid of them the easy way and destroy the spacestation."

"And the transmitter is still not working," Mike said. "We have no way of contacting them."

"And there are 85 criminal Ladurians between us and the TARDIS," Martha said. A shiver ran down her spine.

* * *

**AN:** Please review and let me know what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Sorry for the delay. Real life got in the way. Anyway, here is chapter 11, I hope you enjoy. And thanks for all the reviews.

There is not that much romance in this chapter like in the last few chapters and it will stay like this for another few chapters. Ten and Martha are busy saving the spacestation so they don't have much time for that. But I promise there is also a lot of romance to come before the end.

Thanks to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Everyone in the control room was silent. The whole situation had just got immensely worse.

"Any ideas?" Bennett asked. None of his crew answered him.

"I could try to get to the TARDIS and send the message from there," the Doctor said after a moment.

"There are 85 Ladurians out there," Mike said. Martha saw the fear in the young man's eyes. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone of the crew looked afraid, even if Captain Bennett was doing a good job in hiding it.

"There is no other option," the Doctor said.

"You can't go out there alone," Vanessa replied. "My team and I could help you."

"We don't stand a chance if we try to fight them. I might be able to get past them without them noticing me. And if they see me I might be able to negotiate. Their lives are at stake just like ours."

"You're not going alone. I'll come with you," Martha said determined.

He looked into her eyes. "Of course you are," he said with a slight smile.

...

Mike accompanied them to the door that separated them from the rest of the space station and 85 criminal Ladurians. They didn't talk much till they reached the door. Mike checked the internal sensors first to make sure there were no Ladurians nearby before he opened the door.

"Please be careful," he said. Martha reached out and hugged him.

"We will be fine," she promised into his ear. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she fully let go of him. With one last smile she turned around and walked through the door.

The Doctor felt a sting of jealousy when he saw her kissing Mike on the cheek but he quickly swallowed it down. He just grinned at Mike and followed Martha outside.

Why was he feeling like this? It wasn't like a quick kiss on the cheek would mean anything.

But the fear of losing her again had got worse with every day since she'd come back into his life. Especially since they had arrived on this space station and met Mike. It made him realise he would eventually lose her to someone else because he didn't dare to tell her how he felt.

He shook his head as if it could clear these thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on his task. They were in a corridor alarmingly far away from the TARDIS.

At first they had luck and didn't run into any Ladurians.

"Why would the Ladurians on the ship want to blow up the space station, even if they think the crew is dead?" Martha asked after a few minutes of complete silence.

"Because it's easier to destroy the space station. When they come on board and capture the Ladurians there is a chance some of them might get away," the Doctor explained. They were both speaking in hushed voices. "The message said that they would pay Earth for the loss of the space station, but actually they would just blow it up and tell everyone the criminals did it. Much easier than capturing the criminals one by one."

"Nice," Martha whispered back.

They fell silent again. Then, they both stopped when they heard the sound of footsteps coming closer.

"Let's get away from here," the Doctor whispered. He turned around and saw a Ladurian standing in the corridor behind them.

"I have a feeling they've already noticed us," Martha said.

"I noticed you a few minutes ago," the Ladurian said. He was aiming a gun at them and moved slowly closer to them. "And then I contacted a friend of mine and asked him to come here from the direction you were heading and block your way."

The Doctor and Martha both turned around and saw another Ladurian now standing behind them and pointing a gun at them.

"And now you are going to die," the first Ladurian said.

"No, wait!" the Doctor called out. "We need to talk to your leader. It is very important that we talk to your leader."

The Ladurians both eyed them suspiciously, the guns still pointed at their heads.

"It's in both our interests. We have important information for your leader."

The Ladurians thought about his words. After a moment of silence, the first Ladurian said: "All right. We'll let our leader decide if you're going to die."

The Doctor relaxed slightly.

"Move," the Ladurian ordered, still aiming his gun at them. The Doctor and Martha both turned around and followed the second Ladurian who led them further away from the TARDIS.

...

They were brought to the cafeteria. The Ladurians seemed to have made a makeshift base out of the big room. In the middle of the room, at a table with some food the Ladurians must have found in the kitchen, sat the Ladurian Vanessa had been looking for.

"I didn't expect to see you two again quite that soon," he said.

"They said they had something they need to tell you," one of the Ladurians who had brought them here reported.

"Really? What could possibly be so important that you risk your lives to tell me?"

"Listen, we've contacted your homeworld and...," the Doctor was interrupted by a disbelieving snort.

"That is not possible. I sabotaged your transmitter," the Ladurian said.

"I told you we are not part of the crew. We only arrived here two days ago. I sent the message from my spaceship," the Doctor explained.

"We haven't seen any other spaceships," the Ladurian said.

"Well, it's not that big, at least on the outside."

The Ladurian eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Your government sent a ship," Martha explained. "They think that you have killed every human on this space station. If we don't contact them within the next...," she paused to check her watch. "Forty minutes they will destroy the space station."

The Ladurian eyed them both. It was obvious that he was considering if they were telling the truth or if this was just a big bluff.

"And you expect me to believe you and let you go?" he asked. "For all I know this is part of a plan to get back control over this space station."

"Then check the sensors on your own ship. There is a Ladurian ship out there!" Martha said.

The Ladurian considered her words. Then he turned towards one of his crewmembers. "Do it," he said. The crewman immediately left the room.

They waited for a couple of minutes. The Ladurian they had been talking to, obviously the commander, resumed his meal.

"This is taking too long," Martha murmured.

"I know," the Doctor whispered back. "But we can't do anything until he trusts us"

About two minutes later the Ladurian who had been sent to the ship returned.

"It's true, commander," he reported. "There is a ship."

"They are going to destroy the space station. You know that's something they would do," the Doctor said. "If we don't send the message we are all going to die."

"I'll let you go to your ship under one condition," the Ladurian said. "I'm coming with you to make sure you don't do anything else."

* * *

**AN:** Please let me know what you think and review.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** I'm sorry this took so long but RL got in the way again. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Droctor Who

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The Doctor and Martha agreed to the condition. Neither of them was exactly comfortable with the idea of a Ladurian coming with them but they didn't have another choice.

The Ladurian started to give orders for the other Ladurians to follow during his absence. Then he gripped one of the guns the Ladurians had brought with them and turned toward the Doctor and Martha. "I'm ready," he announced. "Show me the way to your ship."

The Doctor eyed the gun but didn't say a word. He just took Martha's hand and started walking towards the door.

The Ladurian walked behind them as they made their way to the TARDIS. This way he could keep a better eye on them and shoot them if they tried anything.

Martha took a look at her watch. They had thirty minutes left and she didn't know how long it would take to get to the TARDIS and send the message. She started to feel a bit nervous.

The Doctor noticed that and squeezed her hand lightly. "Don't worry," he murmured.

"How long will it take?" the Ladurian asked. He had noticed their little exchange. "We will be there in about twenty minutes," the Doctor answered, looking over his shoulder at the Ladurian. "By the way, you never told us your name."

"Why do you need to know," the Ladurian answered.

"Well, we need to know what to call you, don't we?"

"We never tell our prisoners our names," the Ladurian said.

"That's rude," the Doctor told him. "And since we are working together now, we are not like your normal prisoners."

The Ladurian didn't answer.

"Oh, come on! What could we possibly do with that information?" the Doctor asked.

There was a pause before the Ladurian answered. "My name is Commander L'Kal," he said.

"Nice to meet you L'Kal," The Doctor grinned at him. "Tell me, how come you command a ship of criminals?"

"We aren't criminals!"

"Then why did your government send a ship to get rid of you even if it means destroying this spacestation?"

"Ever since I can remember there was always the government telling us what we were allowed to do and what not. My people never had the kind of freedom which humans or other species have. We do what we are told to do. We aren't even allowed to choose what kind of job we want to do or where we live or who we marry. I didn't want anything to do with that government anymore and for them that makes me a criminal. Me and my crew fight for our rights. And we do everything we have to in order to keep our freedom. Even if we have to fight back. And we aren't the only ones."

"And you needed the crystals on the planet below us," Martha said, remembering what the Doctor had told her before. "You somehow got your hands on some of the old weapons your people used when there were still these crystals on your planet. You needed the crystals to make them work again."

"It is the only way to fight back. We don't have any other way to get weapons."

"I can understand that you just want your freedom. But you have no right to attack this spacestation. Earth has nothing to do with all of that," Martha said.

"No, but they have what we need," L'Kal said.

"And that's reason enough for you to attack innocent people?" Martha asked with anger in her eyes. The Doctor watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was so compassionate; she always wanted to help people if they needed help. And she didn't care that she was talking to an armed Alien who could kill her without second thought as long as there was a chance that she could make him see sense.

"I'm not accountable to you! I do what I must and I don't care what you or any other human thinks about that!" L'Kal answered angrily. "You have never even been to my homeworld! You don't know what it's like living there!"

"I've been to Laduria," the Doctor said. "And I know what your people go through. But there must be a peaceful way. There always is!"

"There's no other way," L'Kal said. "Don't think you will be able to talk me into leaving this spacestation!"

"There is a Ladurian ship out there. When we manage to contact them they will come aboard and capture all of you. You might have a chance to get away, but if you stay here you don't stand a chance."

"We'll see," L'Kal answered.

Martha and the Doctor exchanged a glance, both of them thinking that their only chance of a peaceful solution was gone. Now all they could do was hope for the other Ladurians. It seemed there was no way around a fight.

They fell silent again. Martha looked around and noticed that they were in the corridor that led to the room where they had left the TARDIS. She glanced at her watch again. They had 7 minutes left. Plenty of time if nothing went wrong. And she had travelled with the Doctor long enough to know how often things went wrong. Hopefully that wouldn't happen this time.

The Doctor pushed the doors to the little storage room open and revealed the TARDIS standing in the middle of the small room.

The Doctor ran to his beloved ship, inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open. Martha followed him inside.

The Doctor went straight to the console and started pushing buttons and pulling levers. Martha joined him to look over his shoulders. She noticed L'Kal standing in the doorway and staring at the huge interior of the small Police Box. She smirked, remembering the first time she had seen the inside of the TARDIS.

The voice of a stranger brought her attention back to the screen. The Doctor had already contacted the Ladurian ship and a Ladurian had appeared on the screen.

"My name is Commander S'Tal," he introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is Martha Jones. We call you on behalf of Captain Bennett, the commanding officer of this spacestation."

"I take it this means that the crew is still alive?"

"Yes," the Doctor said.

S'Tal nodded. "I understand. We will prepare everything for coming aboard your spacestation to assist you with the criminals. We will be ready in approximately 30 minutes of Earth time."

"Understood. Thank you for your help."

S'Tal disconnected the communication.

The Doctor stood up stopped for a moment. Then he looked around the room. "Martha, have you seen L'Kal?" he asked.

Martha looked around too. "He was just there at the door."

"Well, he can't be in here. The TARDIS would have told us. Maybe he's gone back to his crew to prepare them."

Martha nodded. "Let's go back to the control room," she said.

* * *

**AN:** Please review and tell me what you think.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** I'm so sorry this took so long. I had a lot of other things I needed to do. And a new boyfriend :)

I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I'll be in hospital next week because of a small surgery so it depends on how I'm feeling afterwards.

Thank you to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who

* * *

**Chapter 13**

On their way back to the control room, the Doctor and Martha almost ran into a small group of Ladurians. They stood behind a corner and waited until the Ladurians left in the opposite direction before their resumed their way.

"That was weird," the Doctor murmured as if he was talking to himself. He was staring at a point in front of him.

"What was?" Martha asked. The Doctor turned his head to look at her while they were walking down the corridor.

"Those Ladurians. If L'Kal went back to his crew like we thought he would then he would have met them."

"Well, maybe he missed them," Martha said. "We don't know how long those Ladurians were in that corridor. For all we know they might have arrived after L'Kal did."

"Maybe," the Doctor said. "But I can't shake the feeling that he's planning something. He knows that he and his crew don't stand a chance when S'Tal shows up here."

Martha nodded but didn't say anything. L'Kal didn't seem like the kind of person who would just give up. And she had had the feeling that he was planning something ever since he had agreed to go with them to the TARDIS.

...

They reached the locked door to the area around the control room without running into any Ladurians. Martha knocked against the door and waited until someone checked the security cameras to confirm it was them. Mike opened the door only seconds later.

"I'm so glad you're both alright," Mike said as he stepped aside to let them through the door. He locked the door behind them and followed them to the control room.

Captain Bennett and Vanessa immediately looked up as soon as they walked into the room.

"Did you send the message?" Bennett asked them anxiously.

"Yes, we did," the Doctor announced with a slight smile. Everyone in the room let out a breath.

...

Martha let her gaze trail over the people in the room. The Doctor was telling Captain Bennett what had happened after they left the control room an hour ago. Everyone seemed to be relieved that the immediate danger seemed to be over. But Martha wasn't so sure it was.

The internal scanner showed that the Ladurians on the spacestation where still walking around in small groups. She could see it on a screen nearby. If L'Kal had gone back to his people he would have told them to stick together and try to find a way to escape. If they were scattered across the spacestation when the other Ladurians arrived they wouldn't have any chance at all. There were far more Ladurians on the ship than criminals, or rebels or whatever they were, on the spacestation.

Martha exhaled slowly. Maybe the Doctor was right and L'Kal was planning something. But what?

The only way for him to save his people was to get rid of the Ladurian ship while the crew was still on board.

Martha looked up and scanned the room till she saw Mike sitting at one of the consoles. She walked over to where he sat.

"Mike, can I asked you something?" Martha asked as soon as she was standing next to him. Mike looked up from whatever he was doing.

"Of course," he replied with a smile. Martha smiled back at him.

"Is there any way one of the criminal Ladurians could use the weapon systems to shoot at the ship?" she asked him.

"No," Mike answered immediately. "He would have to hack into the main computer to do that. It would be a really good plan because the ship has to deactivate their shields if they want to use their Transmat to get here, so it would only take one shot to destroy the ship when they do. But I seriously doubt that anyone could hack into our computer."

"Is there any way of checking if anyone tried to hack into it?" Martha asked.

"Really, you don't need to worry about that."

"Could you check anyway?" Martha asked. "Please Mike. I would feel a lot better if we knew that that's not what they're planning."

"Alright," Mike said. "I still think it's a complete waste of time but if it makes you feel better."

Martha smiled at him. "Thank you Mike," she said. She got a bit closer and looked over his shoulder while Mike checked the computer.

A few minutes later he looked up at her again. "You were right. There is someone in the main computer room."

"Will he be able to hack into the computer?"

"I don't know... maybe. He seems to know a lot about computer systems."

"Can you stop him?"

"Not from here. I'll need to get to the main computer room."

"Great!" Martha said. She turned around and ran back to where the Doctor stood with Bennett and Vanessa.

"Doctor, I know what L'Kal is planning!" she started as soon as she reached him. "He wants to use the weapon systems of the station to shoot at the Ladurian ship when their shields are down to use the Transmat. Mike just checked. L'Kal is in the main computer room trying to hack into the computer."

The Doctor stared at her for a second. Then he slapped his hand against his forehead. "Of course! I should have thought of that. I must be really getting old. Martha, you're brilliant!" He leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"We need to get to the main computer room."

"I'm coming with you!" Mike said. Martha turned around and noticed he had followed her.

The Doctor nodded at the young Lieutenant. "Come on then" he said as he walked towards the door.

Vanessa ran after them. "He will be armed so I will come with you as well," she said as she followed them outside. "Any plans how we are going to stop them?"

"Nope," the Doctor answered, popping the p.

"He never has a plan," Martha added as she smiled at the other woman.

"Great," Vanessa said. She gripped her weapon tighter and followed them out of the secured area.

* * *

**AN:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN:** This is the second last chapter. And the next chapter will be up very soon because it's already written.

And I'm going to write a sequel. There is still very much about the Doctor and Martha's relationship after this story that I want to tell. It will be a bit more romantic but still with some action like in this story.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and to my beta reader Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who

* * *

**Chapter 14**

They didn't talk much till they reached the door to the main computer room. They stopped in front of the door.

"There's a big room on the other side of that door. The computer is very big and occupies a great part of the room so it's very hard to observe," Vanessa told them.

"I checked the security cameras before we left," Mike said. "The Ladurian is at the furthest end of the room. He won't immediately see us when we come in."

"No, but he will hear the door open. We need a plan before we go in there. Preferably a plan that does not include shooting at him. I don't want to risk hitting the computer."

"How many computer terminals are in that room?" the Doctor asked.

"Three. And there is one terminal the Ladurian can't see from his position," Vanessa answered, already guessing his plan. "He uses the terminal at the back probably because he can't be seen from the door, but will hear if someone comes in."

"I can shut the terminal he uses down. I'm good with computers. I just need to get to the terminal he can't see."

"I can help you. I know all the codes you will need," Mike said. "And someone needs to distract him."

"Leave that to me and Vanessa," Martha said.

...

Mike opened the door; he and the Doctor moved as fast and as quietly as possible to the terminal. Martha and Vanessa followed them inside but stayed in the middle of the room. They only had to wait a few seconds till they saw the Ladurian. He was standing half behind one end of the big computer with a weapon in his hand, which he was aiming at them. Martha recognized him. It was L'Kal.

Vanessa raised her gun as well. "Put your weapon down!" she ordered him.

"I don't think so," L'Kal said. "You won't risk shooting in here. If you damage the computer the life support system on the station could fail. Now get out of this room and let me finish this. I've already hacked your computer. I've full access to your weapons systems. I only have to wait until that ship lowers their shields and then..."

"L'Kal, you don't have to do that. I'm sure we will find a peaceful solution," Martha said.

"No, we won't. There is no way for my people to get away as long as that ship is out there."

"Are you really ready to kill all these Ladurians on that ship? What makes you better than your government if you kill them?"

L'Kal was quiet for a moment. He seemed to be deep in thought and Martha was hoping that her words had got through to him. But then he looked up at her.

"Where is your friend? Every time I saw you, you were always together. Where is he now? What are you planning?" L'Kal stared at her as if he was hoping she would give away what she was hiding. She looked back at him, careful not to glance to her left where she could see the Doctor and Mike from the corner of her eye.

After a few seconds L'Kal moved back behind the computer, out of sight from where Martha stood. Martha glanced to her left and saw the Doctor nodding at her to let her know that he and Mike had succeeded in shutting down the other computer terminal.

In the same moment L'Kal came back into view, his gun aimed at her and Vanessa. "What did you do?" he asked angrily.

Vanessa raised her gun again. "Put your weapon down!" she said, more emphatic this time. "It's over."

"You won't shoot in here," he said again. He moved a few steps to his left to get closer to the door.

"Just a few more steps in that direction and I don't need to worry about damaging the computer anymore," Vanessa responded. She was right. L'Kal had to move away from the main computer if he wanted to get any closer to the door.

Without any warning L'Kal shot at them. Vanessa just managed to knock Martha and herself to the floor. They heard the shot hitting the wall behind them. L'Kal used that moment to dash towards the door. But Vanessa was already on her feet again running after him.

"Are you alright?" Martha heard the Doctor's voice next to her. He must have run to her side the moment L'Kal had shot at them. Martha looked up and was surprised by how worried he looked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Vanessa."

The Doctor offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. Then they ran to the door. In the corridor outside the door they found Vanessa. She looked up when she heard them coming closer. L'Kal was lying on the floor. "He's just unconscious," Vanessa told them.

...

A few hours later Martha, the Doctor and Mike were sitting at a table in the cafeteria. After they had taken out L'Kal, Commander S'Tal and his crew had come aboard the spacestation. With their help it had been easy to catch all the criminal Ladurians on the spacestation. They had brought the criminals back to S'Tal's ship while some of his crew had gone aboard L'Kal's ship to take it back to Laduria. S'Tal had assured them that the criminals would all get a fair trial as soon as they were home but Martha wasn't so sure if they could trust his words. Maybe she could ask the Doctor later if he could find out what happened to L'Kal.

After the Ladurians had left Mike had asked them to join him in the cafeteria. Martha was happy to get a chance to talk to her new friend before she and the Doctor left.

"You know, the planet below us can be quite beautiful at this time of the year," Mike said to Martha. "I could show you around a bit down there if you like."

Before Martha had a chance to answer the Doctor spoke up. "Oh, we won't stay here much longer. Time we moved on."

"He's right," Martha said. She didn't want to get Mikes hopes up. It wasn't like they would ever have a chance for a relationship. They weren't even from the same time.

And she knew she still loved the Doctor. And even if she was sure that he would never return her feelings, she couldn't stop herself wondering about that kiss and his behaviour since she'd called him a few days ago. She'd made up her mind about asking him what it meant. She needed to know for certain before she could go back to her life on Earth and move on.

"Oh, okay," Mike said a bit disappointed. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Maybe someday," Martha said, smiling at him.

* * *

**AN: **In the next chapter they will finally talk about that kiss.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think and review.


	15. Epilogue

**AN:** This is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. The first chapter of the sequel will hopefully be up in a couple of days.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story or added it to his or her favourite stories list. And a big thank you to Persiflage.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who

* * *

**Epilogue**

Martha stepped inside the TARDIS closely followed by the Doctor. She let out a sigh as she walked up the ramp to the console.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked as he stopped in front of the console next to where Martha stood.

"I think I'm going to miss Mike and Vanessa," Martha answered. It was only half a lie. She was going to miss them, but actually she was anxious about the talk she was planning to have with the Doctor now.

"We can always come back here for a visit if you like," the Doctor offered as he started to push buttons and pull levers to fly the TARDIS back into the Time Vortex. Martha smiled at him.

"Right, where to now?" the Doctor asked her after a few seconds of silence. Martha took a deep breath before she started to talk.

"There is something I need to ask you first," she began.

"Okay," the Doctor answered.

"Back in that room when we were captured by the Ladurians for the first time you kissed me."

The Doctor stiffened a bit but apart from that showed no reaction to her words. "What I wanted to know is why did you do that?" Martha couldn't quite grasp the look in his eyes and that unnerved her a bit. It was like he didn't want her to see too much of his emotions on his face.

"Was it because we were in a really bad situation and you didn't know if we could get out of it?"

"I suppose that must have been why," he said.

Martha let out a breath. "So it didn't mean anything. Of course not."

They both fell silent for a few seconds. Then Martha spoke again. "I think it's time for me to go back home. I only wanted to come back for a few days. I'll just get my things."

She turned around and left the console room to go to her room. After a few steps into the corridor she stopped to calm herself down a bit. She hadn't expected any other reaction from the Doctor, but now she knew that deep down she had hoped that that kiss would have meant something. She had been careful not to let herself hope but she still had.

She now knew for certain, and could go back home and go on with her life. But it still hurt.

She pushed the tears back down that were threatening to come and resumed her way back to her room. When she reached the room she swore to herself that the next time she called him she would make sure that she was really over him.

...

The Doctor had just landed the TARDIS in front of Martha's house when she came back into the console room with her bag over her shoulder. She walked over to where he stood to give him a hug.

"I'll call you when I feel like travelling the universe for a bit again," she told him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Bye!" She turned around and walked down the ramp towards the door. He watched her as she walked through the door and wondered when and if he would see her again. He knew he had hurt her again but when she'd asked what that kiss had meant he just couldn't get himself to tell her the truth. He was used to pushing people away if they got too close by now. Especially with Martha. And now he couldn't shake the feeling that he had lost her forever. He couldn't stand that thought and in this moment he knew exactly what he had to do.

...

Martha stood in front of her door searching her bag for her keys when she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and was surprised to see the Doctor running toward her. He stopped in front of her, took her face in his hands and kissed her.

At first Martha was too shocked to move but after a moment she felt her body relax into his embrace. She parted her lips slightly and started to kiss him back. After a few moments he drew back and took her hands in his.

"I'm sorry," he began. "I should have told you the truth before, but I was too afraid to let anyone get too close to me again. I love you."

Martha stared at him for a few moments. She couldn't believe this was really happening. He'd said the words she had wanted to hear from him so badly since she had first travelled with him. The words she had thought she would never hear from his mouth especially not directed at her.

"I can understand if you don't want to give me another chance after the way I treated you when we first travelled together," he continued. "I'm so sorry for all I said and did back then. I never intended to hurt you like I did."

"It's okay," Martha told him. "It's in the past."

"Please come with me again?" he asked her.

Martha searched his eyes. "Did you really mean what you just said?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said.

Martha thought about his words for a moment. Was it a trick to get her to travel with him again because he was lonely, or did he really mean what he said? She wasn't sure but she knew that she would always wonder if she walked away from him now.

She nodded. "Okay. I'll come with you again," she said. She wasn't sure if it was the right decision but she could always go back home if she found out it wasn't.

The Doctor grinned at her and leaned forward to hug her. Martha smiled back at him when he released her. "But we still have a lot to talk about," she told him.

"I know," he said. He leaned forward to kiss her again. Martha wrapped her arms around his neck. They would talk about everything later. For now they were just happy to be together.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

Please leave a little review to let me know how you liked it.


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